GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS FAMILY CAMP!
July 11–16, 2016
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Monday, July 11WELCOME!
PM3:00-5:00 Arrival, registration and move in to the dorm.
EVE5:45Supper
6:45Welcome & Orientation & Sign Up for Activities – meet in @ Cove Room
8:00Campfire & Intro to Skit Night– meet @ Council House Snack available afterward in the Dining Hall.
Tuesday, July 12NATURE CLUBS
7:00Bird-banding – Starting as early as 7:00am, visit the bird-banding station located in the
Council House and come and go as you like.Wearing long pants is recommended.
AM7:30Morning Yoga Meet @ Pavilion
8:00Breakfast
KEY:(R) Rambler:Includes a hiking distance of roughlya half mile.
(E) Explorer: Perhaps as long as a mile hiking distance or slightly longer.
(T) Trekker: As many as two miles hiking distance and/or includes significant elevation change.
9:00-11:451. Bird Blingers (R)
2. Pioneer Skills(R)
3. Firetender Academy(R)
4. A Snail’s Life(R)
5. Alien Exploration (E)
PM12:30 Lunch
1:30-4:151.Stream Savers (R)
2. Bear With Me(R)
3. Treasure Hunters(E)
4. Spider Quest(R)
5. Afternoon Trek: Marcs/Lumber Ridge (T)
1:30 – thruOVERNIGHT BACKPACK TRIP – This one-of-a-kind experience will introduce
Weds. morningyou to the world of backpacking where you get to carry everything you need for one night in the wilderness on your back. We’ll supply backpacks and most gear. You’ll need to bring your own sleeping bag. We’ll spend the afternoon packing our gear before a journey of two miles. (Is it uphill? Of course! You’re in the mountains!) The return trip will be Wednesday morning following breakfast. LIMITED TO 9 PEOPLE
4:30All Camp Meeting Prior to Swim Time at River House (located next to office)
till 5:30 Lifeguard on duty @ river
EVE6:00Supper – The theme of this meal is “Happy Birthday National Parks.”
6:30CREATIVE CORNER – Learn about arts and crafts projects that you are welcome to work on this week whenever you wish. Meet in Dining Hall.
6:45-7:30KID’S CLUB – If your creative juices aren’t flowing, join Tremont naturalists for some fun and games. Meet in Pavilion.
7:30Folk-Dancing with Bob Grimac– Folk dances from many culture around the world
Wednesday, July 13NATURE CLUBS & BICYCLING & BACKPACKING!
*Bring your bike to the Dining Hall NO LATER THAN 6:30am for loading onto our pickup truck. Or, if you plan to take your own vehicle, load it onto your own vehicle and be ready to roll.
AM6:30Bikers meet outside Dining Hall – bring your bike!
6:45Depart for Bicycling in Cades Cove – we must leave on time!
7:15A picnic breakfast will be available in the parking lot at Cades Cove soon after our arrival.
6:30-11:00BICYCLING IN CADES COVE (E)
Take a bicycle tour of Cades Cove on an 11-mile loop road closed to automobile
traffic. Tremont can transport a limited number of bikes in our pick-up truck, but participants will carpool to the Cades Cove entrance. A limited number of bicycles are available for rent at Cades Cove ($4.50/hour for children & $7.50 for adults). Bring water and a raincoat, plus a few extra bucks for ice cream at the end! A midmorning snack will also be available in the dining hall around 11:00am.
AM8:00Breakfast for non-bikers
9:00-11:45Ethnobotany Adventure (R)
Learn about the edible and medicinal uses of plants in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. We’ll learn to identify plants by families, and we’ll explore just how cultures acquire knowledge about plants in the first place.
8:30-12:00Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center (R)On-your-own family activity
Permanent exhibits include Native Americans of East Tennessee, Tennessee Mountain
Culture, and a historic village.Location is 3¾ miles from Tremont. Upon entering Townsend outside the park on TN-73, look for the sign on the left.
12:30Lunch - The theme of this meal is “Musical.”
1:15-2:00Siesta – Quiet Time in the Dorm for folks to recover with a nap mid-week
2:00-4:151. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them(E)
2.Stream Savers(E)
3. Alien Exploration(E)
4. A Snail’s Life(R)
1:30 – thruOVERNIGHT BACKPACK TRIP – This one-of-a-kind experience will introduce
Thursday morningyou to the world of backpacking where you get to carry everything you need for one night in the wilderness on your back. We’ll supply backpacks and most gear. You’ll need to bring your own sleeping bag. We’ll spend the afternoon packing our gear before a journey of two miles. (Is it uphill? Of course! You’re in the mountains!) The return trip will be Thursday morning following breakfast. LIMITED TO 9 PEOPLE
4:30-5:30Lifeguard on duty @ river
EVE6:00Supper – The theme of this meal is “Ninja.”
6:30-7:30KID’S CLUB – Join Tremont naturalists for some fun and games. Meet in Pavilion.
7:30Old-timey Music with Lost Mill String Band – meet @ Council House
Snack available in the Dining Hall afterwards.
Thursday, July 14NATURE CLUBS & FIELD GAMES
AM7:15Middle Prong Plunge Meet in front of Dorm
7:45Morning YogaMeet @ Pavilion
8:00Breakfast
9:00-11:451.Tree Seekers(E)
2. Stream Savers(E)
3. Pioneer Skills(E)
4. Firetender Academy(T)
Backpackers return late morning.
12:30Lunch – The theme of this meal is “Five Themes.”
1:30FIELD GAMES EXTRAVAGANZA– Come ready for an afternoon of fun and frolicking on
the field. Wear clothes youcan get wet in!
4:00 Ice Cream Social @ Pavilion
4:30-5:30Lifeguard on duty @ river
EVE6:00Supper – The theme of this meal is “Murder Mystery.”
6:30-7:30Final Practice for Skit Night
7:30SKIT NIGHT@ Cove Room Snack available in the Dining Hall afterwards.
Friday, July 15HIKING DAY
AM 7:15Middle Prong Plunge meet in front of Dorm
7:45Morning Yoga meet @ Pavilion
8:00Breakfast & Pack Sack Lunch (There is NO lunch in the dining hall today.)
*All hiking groups meet in dining hall for departure
8:45STRENUOUS •Spence Field via Lead Cove,10 miles
We will climb 5 miles up to the Appalachian Trail, gaining 3100 feet in elevation along the way. Spence Field resides less than a half-mile away from the A.T. junction with Bote Mountain Trail. It is considered by many to be the premier spot along the crest of the Smokies. This high mountain grassy bald affords views into North Carolina and is a wonderful, quiet place to spend some time. We will soak up great views of the Smokies while eating lunch and resting for our trip back down the mountain. Good weather days afford views of Rocky Top, Thunderhead Mountain, Fontana Lake and more. Total elevation gain: 3,200 feet over 5 miles. Total elevation loss: ditto. Carpooling required.Departure at 8:45 sharp. Please pack sack lunch before breakfast.
9:00MODERATE/STRENUOUS • Spruce Flats/Lumber Ridge, 8 miles
This loop hike will begin and end at right on our campus. We will start out on the Falls Trail which guides us to Spruce Flats Falls, a 40-foot sparkling gem of the Smokies. This one-mile stretch between the falls and Tremont has some narrow and steep sections and at times requires careful footing. We will pass by the Greenbrier Fault twice during this part of the hike and see other evidence of the geological forces that formed these mountains. Beyond the falls we’ll follow an unmaintained trail that used to be a railroad bed. It is now grown over with rhododendrons so be ready to duck a few times as well as scramble over fallen trees. It meanders along Spruce Flats Branch, which we may need to rock-hop across several times with gentle ups and downs in terrain. We’ll stop for lunch at the halfway mark at Buckhorn Gap. The remainder of the hike follows the Lumber Ridge Trail through a second growth hardwood forest. It is mostly downhill from here with an occasional view able to be glimpsed through the trees. We will walk right back into Tremont behind the dormitory. Total rise and fall: 1,300 feet.
9:00MODERATE • Indian Flats Falls 7.5 miles
This hike begins at the end of Tremont Road where Old Tremont, the 1920s logging town, once stood. The Middle Prong Trail follows an old railroad grade along beautiful Lynn Camp Prong. In places the trail is somewhat rocky. Lynn Camp Cascades can be seen within the first mile. Further up, the trail crosses Indian Flats Prong on a wide bridge. Railroad switchbacks climb the ridge here. Less than half a mile past the bridge is a short side trail to Indian Flats Falls, tucked into the mountain. There are four falls in all that drop 65 feet and run 170 feet. The falls are beautiful and provide a swimming opportunity before the return hike – but only for those willing to brave chilly temperatures! Vertical rise: 1100 feet.Carpooling required.
9:00EASY/MODERATE • Andrews Bald, 4.3 miles
This is a beautiful high-country walk to a bald that is more accessible than any other bald in the park. The slope down to the bald is easy but somewhat rocky.If raining the rocks can be a bit slippery. You will be walking downhill for the first mile, then across a level saddle with some uphill again to get to the bald. The spruce and fir forest here is characteristic at this 6300-foot elevation when suddenly you come into a grassy, open hilltop. We will spend some time exploring and enjoying the bald along with the views of the national forests of North Carolina and Georgia. Coming back is a steady climb. If time and interest allow, we will hike one additional mile up and back to the observation tower at Clingmans Dome, the highest point in the park.Total elevation loss: 1,000 feet over 1.8 miles. Total elevation gain: ditto. Limited space will be available in the Tremont van. Others may carpool. Includes a 1-hour drive.
4:30-5:30Lifeguard on duty @ river
EVE6:00COOK–OUT – Join us in the Pavilion for supper tonight!
6:45-7:30KID’S CLUB – Join Tremont naturalists for some fun and games. Meet in the Pavilion.
7:30Closing Campfire @ Council House
Saturday, July 16Aaaaargh! It’s the last day of Family Camp!
AM 8:00Breakfast & Pack Sack Lunch
9:30Slideshow in Cove Room
9:45-11:00Farewell Hikes/Activities:
1. Camouflage (R)
- Walker Cemetery Stories (E)
Departure – Come Back and See Us!